The cost of a typical entry-level paramotor is $9500 for both the motor and wing. More expensive new paramotors can cost upwards of $22,000. These are ridiculously high numbers.
So, why are paramotors so expensive? The reason paramotors are so expensive is that it’s a low volume business. The manufacturers don’t sell that many because there aren’t that many people into the sport. Because there are so few customers, the manufacturers have to make sure every sale counts, and so they raise the prices.
Why the Wing Costs So Much
Wing’s can cost anywhere from $1000 to $5000. But why is a piece of fabric so ridiculously expensive?
Let’s take a look at how one wing, the “Eden 5” is made:
“Performance Highlights (For the Eden 5)
An excerpt Taken from the MAC PARA website, detailing some of the features of their wing.
-Precision handling with outstanding climb.
-Great cross country potential with phenomenal glide.
-Love flying while feeling comfortable in various conditions with safe EN B certification.
-Proven construction materials for long time use.
-Quality workmanship that have kept Mac Para in business for over 22 years!
-Ease of use performance features to maximize your flights.
-Confidence building safety for unlimited flying adventures.
-Latest updated design for many years of flying fun.
-Very high passive safety and neutral behavior in extreme situations.
-Perfect for both free flight and powered paragliding.”
From the video, we can see that there are many hours of work put into making the Eden 5 pristine. Its new version, the Eden 6 has just as rigorous a creating process and is currently on the market for around$3,750, and $1,750 if they’re used.
The Eden wing takes around 90 man hours to complete, which means that if they start work on a wing, it won’t be ready to be sold for two weeks. They need every cent from every sale to pay their workers and buy more materials to create wings.
This is a pretty average example of wings on the market, but it has such an insanely long and complicated creating process it’s a wonder it doesn’t cost more.
Why the Motor Costs So Much
Engines typically cost anywhere from $3500 to as high as you can think of. Engines are costly, but for a very different reason than the wings.
Yes, engines have an intense
Most companies that sell ‘paramotor’ motors are actually just taking engines made and sold by other companies, and strapping a cage on them.
Companies who take this non-innovative approach generally do better than companies who want to innovate to make their own better motor, because the non-innovative companies can lower their prices just enough to put the innovative companies at a disadvantage, and make them need to raise their prices more.
The cost of engineering and insurance needed to produce new and improved quality paramotors costs a lot, but the competition and complacency in the paramotoring community with overpriced crappy engines are just adding to the cost.
Add to that the fact that because of all their engineering, they need to make their own motors rather than buy them in bulk from general motor manufacturers.
Because it’s cheaper to buy the motor with a cage strapped on it, most people will go for that.
A Few Examples of Paramotor Costs
Minne Motor Electric Paramotor Complete Setup Kit
This Amazon item includes an 18HP electric motor, and share battery with power tools and the engine is transformable to airboat, go-cart, snowmobile etc. It’s green energy and includes a 3 piece paramotor cage and a split-legs harness.
You can check it out here on amazon.
It costs around $6,000 and isn’t a bad pick for a paramotor. It’s an electric motor, so fuel won’t be an issue with it.
The problem with electric motors, in general, is that you can’t really take longer flights with it, but as far as electric motors go, this here is the cream of the crop.
Minari Paramotor – Minari 180cc engine with Clutch and Wooden 125cm Propeller
The Minari 180cc paramotor item on eBay has the following items. A Minari Paramotor Low Hang Point Frame and Cage, in addition to the Minari F1-M9-F Paramotor Engine with Clutch. It’s got a throttle with Cruise Control for when you just wanna relax and enjoy the view, and a stylish 125cm wooden propeller. It comes outfitted with a Miniplane Custom Harness and a 12-liter fuel tank.
You can see the item on eBay here.
I would suggest this item because of it’s excellent status as a gas-fueled, two-stroke mean lean flying machine. It’s an honest paramotor, that’s well priced around $5,000, and has a 99.5% approval rating through the eBay store.
Advance ALPHA 6 Motor (Wing)
Because of its excellent take-off qualities, high stability, and compactness, ALPHA 6 wing is well suited to paramotoring. The ALPHA 6 can be fitted with Hybrid Risers when being used on a paramotor, which can be used to counteract the turning effect of the motor as well as adjusting flying speed.
Coming in 4 sizes and many color options, with the addition of a rucksack, this stellar wing is just around $2,800 dollars in brand new condition.
The fine-tuning for speed that comes with the purchase of this wing is well worth the money. This is quite the deal for the sheer ability that this wing offers. You can purchase the ALPHA 6 wing with the Hybrid Risers here.
Advance Epsilon 9
Set apart by its
With a strong sense of control and direction, even in rough air, and being intuitive and simple to manage, this is a good pick for a wing for anyone. With 4 color choices and 5 sizing choices, this wing can be purchased with your preferences in mind.
This item costs about $3,500, but it’s worth it for the incredible stability that you find in flight. You can buy the Epsilon 9 here.
How to Avoid Getting Scammed
There are three tips I can give in order to avoid getting scammed when buying a paramotor-
- Call the Owner: Have a conversation with the person you are buying a wing from, especially if it’s a used paramotor wing. Having this conversation, or getting into contact with the person you are purchasing the equipment from can get you a better understanding of the equipment, and you can get some tips or tricks for making the equipment work for you specifically.
- Try Out the Smaller Websites: Big name companies like Amazon, eBay, etc, have a wide selection of paragliders/paramotors. But sometimes, they don’t have the right fit for you. Go to the second page of search results, and look at some of the smaller sites. They can have paramotoring/paragliding items that you might want or need, and could have better deals than the larger websites.
- Search for Specific Brands: Often times, the brands you trust to make one paramotoring item will also make other items. Brands like “Ozone” and “Gin”, make a wide variety of trusted paramotoring items, and searching for specific brands can get you new and up to date wings, motors, and other items related to paramotoring.
Related Questions:
How much does a paramotor weigh? Paramotors typically weigh around 50 lbs. Some lighter models weight 40 lbs, but some are heavier, up to near 75 lbs. The size and weight of the paramotor heavily (no pun intended) depends on the weight of the pilot.
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